Tha Yoties Present an "Alter-Native" History of America + An Alter-Native Playlist (EDM, Rap & More)
- Lo Frisby
- May 28, 2023
- 7 min read
On May 7, Tewa/ Hopi artist, musician & "edu-tainer" Ed Kabotie and his band Tha Yoties (short for Coyotes) presented an "Alter-Native History of America" at the Phillip England Center for the Performing Arts Foundation (PECPAF) in Camp Verde (of which I am very pleased to have helped to facilitate by introducing Ed to the foundation's president, Jane Whitmire, Ph. D.).
As a huge fan of Ed's work and a self-appointed ambassador of culture, I'd been wanting Ed to come out and perform in our area for quite a while, and after previous conversations with him about the difficulties of finding "appropriate" venues ( i.e. places where his message would be welcome) and racking my brain for a bit, I reached out to him and PECPAF to see if something could be arranged, and to my delight, it ended up being a great fit, and a great show.
"It was one of the best musical/ educational performances we've had," said Whitmire.
While PECPAF actively promoted the event through local news sources, social media and strategically-placed banners, the turnout wasn't as great as it was expected to be; however, that was likely because the Verde Valley Fair was taking place at the same time as the performance.
Whitmire lamented, "Students and others who were not in attendance missed a rich opportunity to hear a poignant story about the history and culture of the Hopi people."
Despite the smaller-than-expected turnout, Tha Yoties were well-received. The crowd appeared to be enjoying the show so much that PECPAF requested an encore performance, which took the form of a lively rendition of the song "Xoyote Soldier", a tune that ear-wormed its way into my head so deeply that I'm still hearing it intermittently, weeks later...
The hour-long presentation included original Yoties songs, Kabotie family artwork and historical photos documenting the struggles of the Indigenous peoples of the Northern Arizona region. It was so impressive to me how jam-packed with information it was; all the while also quite well-tempered by good-natured joshing (at one point Ed joked about how if you know a Native person in South Dakota, "I probably don't know him") and other humorous anecdotes about Native life. To me, it struck the perfect balance between informative and accessible.
Musical influences and message
Tha Yoties describe their music as "IrieZona Reggae Rock", and infuse their dub-inspired melodies with traditional Native American sensibilities and instrumentation to share their message in original songs as well as pseudo-covers, such as "Don't Worry, Be Hopi" and "Take the Money and Run".
"We call ourselves 'Tha Yoties' because we are howling for our people and our lands," Ed said, while also explaining that the band's reggae influences come from artists like Burning Spear , who was commissioned to perform on Hopi land shortly after the death of Bob Marley.
"(Burning Spear) was the first Jamaican artist out to Hopi, and from there it opened a floodgate out to Hopi; after that, there were all these world tours that would make a little detour out to Hopi land to play on our reservation, the equivalent of a little high school gymnasium," Ed said.
"We call it an island-to-island relationship; our reservation is inside another reservation, the Navajo Nation...we're an island" he quipped. "(Jamaica) is surrounded by water, we're surrounded by the Navajo Nation."
An amalgam of a few of the songs Tha Yoties performed at PECPAF. Copyright Lo Frisby
Indigenous perspectives: not good for business?
You would think that, generally speaking, more venues in cities such as Camp Verde, Sedona and others in the North-Central Arizona region with such profound Indigenous histories would be more welcoming to someone like Ed, who is a highly educated & talented third-generation artist from a highly-regarded family, whose contributions within the annals of Native American history are indelible- however, that is sadly not the case.
In our conversations, Ed has told me stories about how factors like tourism and commerce often leave little to no room for Tha Yoties' message in these areas, whose gatekeepers prefer to maintain the status quo rather than opening the proverbial can of worms that is the unfortunate history of colonialism, systemic racism and its continued impact on indigenous people.
According to Ed, a few years ago Tha Yoties began to play a show at a large venue (which I will kindly not name) in Camp Verde but were asked to leave; apparently the band was told their subject matter was upsetting the venue's patrons.
When I think about this and other stories Ed has told me, I think about the missed opportunities for cultural understanding, especially in places like Sedona which purport themselves as being "enlightened".
Where there's a will, there's a way
Despite the difficulty of navigating the murky waters of booking gigs, Tha Yoties, like their namesake animal, are clever, and find ways to get their message heard (which Ed joked that sometimes they have to "go in through the back door").
Based in Flagstaff and performing regularly at venues across the Colorado Plateau and Four Corners region, the band have cultivated a sizeable following while bringing attention to a variety of Native rights and environmental issues through regular performances such as the eponymous Rumble on the Rim (An Indigenous History of Grand Canyon) and Rumble on the Mountain (Native Voices from the Colorado Plateau).
Last year, the band took their rumble concept on the road with fellow Native artist Sage Bond (Diné/Nde), who the group collaborated with on the song and video "Genocide".
Embracing an Emerging Paradigm: The Inclusion of Native Musical Influence in Modern Societal Context
In 2017, the award-winning documentary Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World debuted, revealing to audiences worldwide what had been previously been "hiding in plain sight" for generations: the contributions of Native American musicians to our collective modern music catalog.
Though I consider myself decently educated in the realm of Native American music, I was surprised by some of the deeper levels of influence and connection that were revealed in the film, such as the role that Native Americans had in the development of Delta Blues, thanks in large part to pioneering musician Charley Patton, who was believed to have Choctaw ancestry.
The Guardian's Katie Bain wrote,"(Patton) melded traditional tribal rhythms with the then burgeoning blues. The scene in which Tuscarora/Taíno musician Pura Fé demonstrates the Native influence in Patton’s Down the Red Dirt Road will likely give you chills."
Other artists discussed in the film were Jimi Hendrix (who was part Cherokee), Link Wray (Shawnee), whose famous hit "Rumble" is the documentary's namesake, and The Red Power Movement's rock-folk-poet artists Buffy Sainte-Marie (Piapot Cree) and John Trudell (Santee Dakota).
Fast-forward to now, where a younger generation of Native musicians are leveraging an even wider-ranging array of contemporary genres, such as EDM, rap and metal to reach a wider audience via multiple online platforms. More on that shortly.
But first:
What constitutes Native American music, exactly?
Britannica defines Native American music as "music of the indigenous peoples of the western hemisphere". It goes further to say that essentially, each Native community is distinct in its language, history and musical culture, and as a collective of communities, it is "extraordinarily diverse and multifaceted (in its) performance traditions".
If you've ever attended a pow-wow, you have likely encountered the drum beats, chants and dances that are symbolic of various aspects of tribal culture, however, it is important to remember that each tribe has their own unique rhythms and songs.
As Ed Kabotie would say, "(Native people) are not all from the same tribe, just FYI."
When it comes to the intricacies of Native American music theory, I will spare you the entailing details, but will instead provide a concise summary of the essence of Native music via The Library of Congress:
"Music serves as a medium of communication to celebrate, invoke, or accompany aspects from the cycle of life. In Native American culture the music is closely connected to and even intertwined with nature. It is an integral part of spiritual, social, moral, and cultural events. Its most traditional instruments are voices, drums, and flutes; and all created sound, melody, and song serve a specific purpose. While contemporary Native American music includes modern instruments and languages, they continue to draw on traditional contents."
Indeed, the aspect of continuing to preserve traditional elements within contemporary genres, such as "Electric Pow Wow (i.e Pow Wow Step) ", is a fascinating testament to the unbreakable bonds of community that have always defined Native American values.
It will be interesting to see where Native musicians will take their unique sound and values going forward.
Finally, An Alter-Native Playlist
Now, let's get to the music!
As I said before, Native musicians are leveraging an even wider-ranging array of contemporary genres than ever before. The new generations of musical artists are fusing EDM, rap and metal with traditional tribal drum beats, vocals and instrumentation to create a mind-blowingly eclectic catalog of songs that stretches on as far as the imagination can go.
These pioneering artists are continuing in the footsteps of their predecessors who provided a voice for their people during tumultuous times. The themes explored in their music (systemic racism, injustice and environmental exploitation, to name a few) have sadly not changed much since the years of the first wave of the Red Power Movement, and times are still very much tumultuous, however, with the internet giving rise to a larger, global audience, I believe it will only be a matter of time before Native music will wield a greater level of presence and influence.
Perhaps at some point, their perspectives will no longer be considered "Alter-Native" or radical, and will simply become accepted and embraced as truth.
Now, and without further ado, here are a few select artists for you to explore. Some of them hail from the Northern Arizona and Four Corners region, others are from the Northwest, Midwest and Coastal regions of the US as well as Canada. Each represent a piece of what I would like to refer to as the emerging paradigm; that is, we are beginning to see more and more representation of Native artists via music, film and art, after so many years of marginalization. There is so much to learn, and it's about time.
*Trigger warning: Please be advised, some of these videos contain explicit language, and realistic depictions of violence and death.
The videos I've compiled for this playlist explore a range of topics and emotions; some are quite intense, others are more celebratory. I wanted to provide the fullest range possible of what is out there in order to form an eclectic and thorough (though by no means complete) playlist. I hope you enjoy!
Copyright Lo Frisby 2023
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